THE DROPOUT (S1E8) “Lizzy”: Time For A Reckoning

has  Their lab tests providing inaccurate blood results and compromising patient health. In the final moments, the Wall Street Journal article Holmes and her crew had fought so desperately to suppress was finally released, Holmes’ phone blowing up with text messages from those she has pulled into the project – indicating the speed of knowledge and ramifications in a digital age.

Doubling Down

“Lizzy” finally brings the collapse and reckoning of Holmes and her team, a story that is still currently at play today. As viewers familiar with the case know, Holmes was convicted in January, found guilty on three counts, and her sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 26, 2022. And while the real-life story still has yet to find its end, The Dropout does find its conclusion, bringing this seemingly lackluster series to a close.

“Lizzy” opens once more on a Holmes’ (Amanda Seyfried) official deposition, a feeling of conclusion in its inclusion. As it does little to bridge the intensity from the final moments of “Heroes”, The Dropout does not hover on it for long, the soundtrack creating a racing heartbeat as Sunny (Naveen Andrews) and Elizabeth work through their list of members of the Board, fighting to maintain the integrity of the company through their continued support. There is a feeling of time running out crafted through the editing and pulsating score, a feeling of a desperate need to survive.

As Elizabeth and Sunny solidify their image, The Dropout returns to John Carreyrou (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the author of the article that threatens to unravel the scandal for the world to see. As Carreyrou’s computer is confiscated for potential lawsuits, his editor gives a desperate pep talk to keep him focused, his own momentary lapse of calm preventing him from seeing that the picture goes beyond what he has already told. With a renewed sense of direction and morality, he pushes forward. As we expect the episode to recap and check in with the characters, it is the awkward decision to return back to Sunny and Elizabeth, their increasing sense of suspicion of one another is important, but awkwardly placed within the episode.

We once again leave Sunny and Elizabeth, checking in with both Erika (Camryn Mi-young Kim) and Tyler (Dylan Minnette), each finding a renewed sense of purpose and dedication to bringing an end to Theranos. Much like Carreyrou, they too are looking at a bigger picture. It is not only the information they can relay but other actions that can have devastating effects on Theranos. Erika files a formal request with CMS, the Department for Medicare and Medicaid Services, triggering a required inspection of the labs, while Tyler comes clean to his grandfather about being the article’s source and asking him to be the first member of the Board to distance himself from Theranos. As Elizabeth and Sunny are grasping at straws, those around them are doubling down.

Labs Don’t Manufacture Image

As viewers are returned to Theranos, there is a feeling everything might just fade away. An almost scandal that never truly came to be. As Elizabeth is getting fitted for a new suit, and preparing to receive an award later that evening, it seems as though the dust could just be about ready to settle. Because bringing down companies such as this does not happen overnight, but rather requires multiple strokes to fracture the facade.

But it is not as easy as they would think as an auditor from CMS arrives to inspect their labs. It is the death blow that viewers have been waiting for, Erika’s complaint sealing the fate of Theranos. Unable to dodge the inspector as they have so many others, CMS not only inspects the labs but shuts it down for 2 years due to gross negligence and miss management. As tCarreyrou releases an article of CMS findings, board members retract their support and the end finally arrives.

A Sticky Ending

The final episode of The Dropout unfortunately doesn’t deliver the pay-off viewers may have hoped for. Having found the series lacking overall, I had hoped the ending would be worth it. Rather, it feels rushed, it needs to capture the aftermath leaving much in its wake. It is hard to decipher how much time has passed, bits in the dialogue are the only key points to give to decode.

It also feels as though there should have been more, a deeper angle into the direction of the episode and the overall series. As the episode concludes, one of the final title cards speaks to how women CEOs are treated within the Tech world in the wake of Elizabeth and Theranos. While the series was very linear in its telling of the rise and fall of Theranos, it seems there may have been a different lens the story could have been looked at and shaped by. Something more than just a title card in the end.

There is also the relationship between Sunny and Holmes the series attempts to tackle throughout, and much like their relationship, the depiction is a rollercoaster ride that seems its own lens of the direction the series could have shaped around as well. In the end, looking at the series as a whole, it was a basic retelling, with little intensity and intrigue. Such limited scope to telling the story left characters underdeveloped and angles poorly explored. For the final episode, it is strong but too rapid in its conclusion, threatening to fall from memory.

Conclusion

Amanda Seyfried and Naveen Andrews may not however, their performances are strong and memorable and their chemistry is one I wish the series had leaned more into. Come awards season, The Dropout has the chance of being remembered because of the performances of these two.

With The Dropout concluded and another crime scandal depicted on screen, eyes turn to the anticipated upcoming film Bad Blood. Based on the book written by Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyou, Adam McKay is set to direct and pen the script with Jennifer Lawrence starring. Looking at the many angles that felt glossed over here, there is an anticipation for what is still yet to come.

What did you think of The Dropout? Let us know in the comments below!

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